Still crazy after all these...

 

 

 Enjoying a birthday taiyaki treat

 

So, here we are again, celebrating 66 years of bouncing around the planet, trying to live my best life and be a mensch.

The festivities included dinner, drinks, and taiyaki (see photo) in Georgetown with J&J;  pho in South Tacoma; pizza in Proctor with the always-gracious Bev Conner; and prizes and lovies from the Wonder Wife, Coco. I am sure the revels are not quite totally over, so we shall see.

I am using this birthday as a milestone to really lean into being retired. The first months post-career felt like a much-needed sabbatical; the next chunk was all about the transition - Coco finishing school and starting her practice and our move from Bellingham to Tacoma. Now, all the dust has settled, it seems: Coco's practice is up and running and growing strong in the beautiful Birdhouse and The Ferdinand Ranch is all but totally pulled together. I no longer feel like a project manager.

I have made inquiries into some volunteer work and I am continuing my cartooning practice; if I could find some regular gaming in Tacoma I'd be a long way toward a full schedule.

In the meanwhile, there's plenty of books still to be read (I'm behind on book club entries) and walks to be taken.

Time to get golden.

Solitaire Book Club: Ice

Ice by Amy Brady. I am not sure whether Mark Kurlansky actually invented this genre of focused popular non-fiction with Cod and Salt in the late nineties/early aughts, but Brady is certainly a worthwhile inheritor of his mantle in any case. Ice is a fun book that gives a well-researched but accessible account of its topic substance, not from a physics perspective (although there is some scientific background) but through the lenses of social, political, and economic history. The book is well-organized, beginning with a comprehensive chronological overview, then exploring deep dives into food & drink and sports & entertainment, and wrapping up with some future projections, always holding the reader's interest as developments are recounted and connections are explored.

Special kudos go to Brady for recognizing and mentioning the often overlooked contexts of capitalism, colonialism, and racism that played such an important if unfortunate part in human history and the creation of the world as we know it.

It was an especial treat to read this book during a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest!